Tuesday Top 5: Movies

We just put our Netflix account on hold.  Now that we're pretty much done watching all the Joss Whedon shows, we weren't excited about anything else on our queue.  It's full of movies that are probably great - but we just watch the same favorites over and over.  Some of our favorites we know so well we can almost quote them with the sound off (which my sister and I have done with While You Were Sleeping, the movie we watched every Christmas eve since it came out).  That being said, here are my current top 5 movies.  Don't forget to link up or comment with yours!!

Some Like It Hot

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This movie is definitely a classic.  Quite possibly my favorite roll for Jack Lemon, I laugh every single time I see it.  The songs are great, the characters are hilarious, and who can't use a little dose of Marilyn Monroe?

The Princess Bride

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My sister was a child of the '80s, so this movie was on all the time in our house.  It is oh-so quotable and great for every girl who never dreamed of being a princess.  And ok, I'll confess to having had a pretty big crush on Wesley for most of my young life. 

Serenity

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As I said, we're big ol' Whedon geeks in our house.  Firefly is quite possibly our #1 favorite tv show (all 14 episodes of it).  It's sci-fi and western all rolled into one (and Alan Tudyk is pretty yummy).  So of course the movie that wraps it all up is on my top list.  And I just might fantasize about someday being as cool as Summer Glau...

Chicken Run

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I'm a huge fan of British claymation.  When Chicken Run came out, I ran to the theater to see it.  When it was released on vhs, I bought it right away.  When I finally saw The Great Escape I was shocked and crushed.  If you've never seen either, watch TGE before you see Chicken Run!!  Then get on your swing-dancin' shoes and round up your kids and get ready to laugh along with the raucous barnyard crew. 

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

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That's right - we liked this movie so much, we named our second son after it.  True story.  While I like to claim that we 'just thought Ferris was a pretty name,' in all honesty I'm pretty sure my husband is hoping that our Ferris turns out to be just as cool.  This iconic, feel-good teenage movie never fails to make me feel better when I'm feeling like playing hooky all day.   



 

Stuff I Love: Purple Cows Laminater

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I have to say it. I love my laminater!

I'm a white-board-marker addict.  I love that I can make lists reusable by writing them in white board marker and then wiping them off to start over.  I hadn't been able to fully utilize this feature, however, until I purchased my laminater.

Purple Cows makes an amazing set of laminating materials.  This laminater can laminate pages up to 12"x12" - great for those of you who like to scrapbook.  My kit came with tons of pages - everything from tiny 3"x5"  sheets up to roomy 12"x12" sheets.  The slim machine is super simple to use - plug it in to the wall, flip the 'on' switch and wait 3 minutes for it to warm up.  Then you slip your picture/paper/item into the laminating film and insert it into the slot.  The machine sucks it through and voila, you're done!

I've used my laminater for all kinds of projects.  I printed out detailed to-do lists and laminated them - now I can just write on and wipe off instead of trying to keep track of all the little sticky notes I used to jot things down on.  I printed photos of the family and laminated them to make a "memory" matching game for the kids.  I made "morning routine" charts for the kids, laminated them and posted them on the wall so the kids can cross off their chores with whiteboard markers as they complete them.  I laminated coloring pages and let the kids color with dry-erase markers which can be erased and reused.  I've even made nametags to attach to the kids' school bags and lunchboxes.  I'm currently scouring Pinterest for more laminater-friendly crafts and activities for the kids because I'm hooked!

The whole kit was under $50 and refills of laminating sheets are pretty cheap.   If you're tired of having scraps of papers floating around your house, or if you'd like to get your papers a little more organized - this is the laminater for you!


 

Recipe Of The Week: Tofu Pepper Steak

This is a favorite dish in our house.  I'd never have expected my kids to like tofu, but they always finish theirs and then beg for some of mine.  It's a great way to get them to eat their veggies, too!

Tofu Pepper Steak
1 lb extra firm tofu
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup water or broth
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ginger
2 medium green peppers, seeded and sliced (or 1 red and 1 green)
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp soy sauce (Bragg's Liquid Aminos is a great GF substitute)

Drain tofu and cut into slices. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook onion till tender, then add tofu till slightly browned. Add broth, garlic salt and ginger. Stir until salt and ginger are mixed in. Add peppers and reduce to simmer. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.

Blend cornstarch and soy sauce. Stir into pan, turning heat to high, and stir constantly until thickened. Serve over brown rice.



 

Valentines Day Swap

Since I'm such a swap addict, I decided to participate in Dragonflight Dreams' Valentine's Day treasury swap.  Each participant put together a treasury of Valentines-y items found on Etsy and posted them on the swap site.  Each person was then given a random participant to send one item from her wish list. 

It was a blast putting together the treasury (all items had to be under $20 but that was the only parameter) and sending off the fantastic gift.  Even better, I got this gorgeous item (made by miss Amanda of Dragonflight Dreams herself) in the mail from the wonderful lady behind After Nine To Five. 

Please excuse the terrible "cell phone photo in a mirror" technique - my camera wasn't handy and I've been in a horrible rush all week. 

 

Here's a better pic that I swiped from the store website - gorgeous, no?

Thanks to everyone for such a fun project!  Look forward to swapping again soon!



 

4 Winners!!!

Are you ready to win a great prize!? Well guess what? 4 of you have the chance to cash in on this giveaway from our awesome sponsors! Here's what's up for grabs:

From The Foley Fam: Unedited 

$10 Shop Credit and 1 Medium Ad Space

From Little Miss Nerd Girl

Blog header, button, or social media links

From A Little Piece Of  Me

1 Large Ad Space

From Mimi Baby Boutique

1 pair fabric covered button earrings

Just use the simple Rafflecopter below.  Contest ends Tues. Feb 21st.  4 winners will be drawn at random.  Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Operation Feed The Lambs

I'm sure a lot of you saw this post from a couple weeks ago.  The post where I spoke about how much my heart grieves for all the children around the world who are facing malnutrition and starvation.  The post about how much my heart aches for the parents who have to live every day with the knowledge that they cannot provide for their own children. 

Every day I thank God that my kids can eat.  That we have so much food they take it for granted.  That they have the luxury of choosing what they eat, of longing for treats because they know what 'junk food' is.  That though they are thin, they are at no risk for poor health. 

According to this fact sheet, every year 15 million children die of starvation.  15 million precious lambs are dying every year because they cannot afford to eat!!  And yet here we sit worrying about becoming too fat from our blessings and overabundance.  I don't want to sit by anymore. 

But I can't do this on my own.  My scope is limited.  My time and funds are limited. And so I am starting Operation Feed The Lambs to encourage you to help.  Every little bit counts - so many of these families live on >$2/day.  Here's what you can do to take part:

1) Grab a button from my sidebar and help me advertise this project. If you need a button in a different size, let me know and I'll gladly make you one.

2) Start a Hunger Line in your etsy shop.  At my shop I have a line of bracelets (featured in the button pic) from which I donate 100% of the profits from sales to charities dedicated to ending child starvation.  You can do the same with an item from your shop.  Let's see how popular we can make the Hunger Line on etsy!

3) Organize a Run for Hunger.  Gather up a bunch of athletic (or just caring) friends, gather some donations, and go for a run. 

4) Get creative!  Set up change jars, host car washes, hold a progressive dinner with admission fees - just get moving. 

5) Spread the word.  Write up a post of your own about Operation Feed The Lambs.  Link it up around the internet.  Pin it to Pinterest.  Share this post on your social media feeds.  Put up fliers at the library.  Call your aunt.  Get the word out. 

6) Leave lots of comments here with ideas.  I've just started brainstorming. The more brains we involve, the bigger the storm.  I want to hear your thoughts! 

7) If you do decide to participate, keep a good record of the money you've raised.  It would be fun to post collective totals now and then to encourage us to keep going.  

Thanks so much for helping me with this project!  Lets work together to bring food to the precious lambs so no more parents have to sit helplessly by and watch their children suffer from malnutrition. 

Will you join the Operation?

Think Thinner Thursday

It's that time again! Time to link up your diet, fitness or health related posts. This can be anything from healthy eating to your weight loss struggles to your thoughts on running marathons - whatever keeps you going. I'll be linking up my progress on the 12 week health makeover I'm doing right now. Feel free to join us in the challenge! And we'd love to support you in your health goals, so feel free to link up below.